First documented attack on a live human by a cookiecutter shark
Published in July 2011
First documented attack on a live human by a cookiecutter shark Squaliformes Dalatiidae Isistius
Honebrink, R., R. Buch, P. Galpin and G. H. Burgess
ABSTRACT:
An adult long-distance swimmer attempting to cross the Alenuihaha Channel between the
Hawaiian islands of Hawai‘i and Maui was twice bitten by a cookiecutter shark (Squaliodea,
Dalatiidae, Isistius sp.). One of these bites presented as an open, round, concave wound typically
observed in cookiecutter shark bites inflicted by members of this genus on a broad spectrum of
large biota such as marine mammals, elasmobranchs, and bony fishes. The open wound was
debrided, subjected to negative pressure wound therapy, and a split thickness skin graft harvested
from the left thigh. Post-operative recovery was complicated by delayed healing of the inferior
portion of the graft, and cultures and biopsy were normal skin flora and normal tissue,
respectively. At six months following the incident, the area appeared to be healing with a stable
eshcar, and by nine months the wound was healed. Humans entering pelagic waters at twilight
and nighttime hours in areas of Isistius sp. occurrence should do so knowing that cookiecutter
sharks are a potential danger, particularly during periods of strong moonlight, in areas of manmade
illumination, or in the presence of bioluminescent organisms.
Pacific Science, Volume 65, Issue 3
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